Grand Prix du Portugal: Sailing the Waters of Portugal's Algarve

Visitors to the seaside city of Portimão in Algarve region of Portugal this July 14 to 16 may be witness to the Grand Prix du Portugal, a public-oriented sailing event featuring five trimarans. The multi-hulled boats will be using Portimão as a base for one of six of its championship rounds this summer.

(PRWEB) May 23, 2006 -- Described as a spectacular sailing event, the Multi-hull Cup championships are gaining worldwide recognition after 10 years of competition. Trimarans are multi-hulled boats with a main hull in the center and two, smaller outrigger hulls. While based on ancient designs, today's racing trimarans can reach speeds up to 25 knots. A trimaran enabled sailor Ellen McArthur of Great Britain to set the new record for a solo voyage around the world in February 2005.

The sailing events at Portimão will be just off-shore and stretch over four days, with crews testing, training and checking out the course on the first day. During the remaining three days, racing crews sail over windward-leeward courses close enough to the shore for easy viewing by the public. Multi-hulls may race two or three rounds of the course before crossing the finishing line, at a total distance between 6 and 18 miles.

Portimão is 35 minutes from the international airport at Faro, just two hours from Lisbon and is one Portugal's popular seaside resorts. The warm waters of this region provide perfect sailing conditions for pros and amateurs alike and the region's 150 km of beaches are often shaded in palm trees. From here, Portuguese traders once sailed to the Indies seeking cloves and cinnamon.

When not on the water or in it, visitors to the Algarve often enjoy one of the many golf courses in the region, considered among the best in the world and offering year-round playing in a mild climate.

For more information about the Multi Cup Open, visit

www.multicup60.eu/2006-programme/

www.visitportugal.com

or

Tivoli Hotels:

Tel: +351 21 319 89 40 0

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